Thursday, January 27, 2011

Thank you for contacting the Volkswagen of America Information Center.We are pleased to see your interest in purchasing the environmentallyfriendly Touareg Hybrid!

If you purchase a US-specific Volkswagen vehicle and register it inCanada, warranty coverage will not be available if you have the vehicleserviced or maintained at a VW dealership in Canada. All warrantyconcerns, as well as maintenance coverage under the Carefree MaintenanceProgram, must be addressed and performed at an authorized Volkswagendealership in the US.

We have no resources to verify if diagnoses or services can be performedon the Touareg Hybrid model at Volkswagen dealers in Canada. Weencourage you to contact the Volkswagen Canada website athttp://www.vw.ca/ca/en_ca.html for additional assistance on this matter.

Thank you again for visiting vw.com. We hope to find you behind thesteering wheel of a Touareg Hybrid in the near future!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

On October 26, 2010, Bloomberg Businessweek reported that Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, the world’s largest luxury-car maker, is being investigated by Swiss antitrust authorities for allegedly preventing vehicle sales in some European countries to Swiss residents.

For UCanImport readers who have been following the class-action lawsuit currently underway in Canada, this likely comes as no surprise.

If you wish to import a BMW vehicle from the US into Canada, while maintaining the warranty, be advised that BMW Canada imposes a number of punitive costs for instrument cluster modification and heater module conversions, plus a fee to receive recall clearance. To learn more, search "BMW" on the upper-left hand search box and click on the magnifying class.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Further to our posting from March 29, 2010 where we learned the VW is denying warranty coverage on newer models, we have received this letter via a UCanImport reader.

"Thank you for contacting Volkswagen. We appreciate your interest in thewarranty coverage of Volkswagen vehicles.

For US-marketed Volkswagen vehicles 2008 model year and earlier, allapplicable warranty coverage is transferred when the vehicle isregistered in Canada. For 2009-2011 US-marketed VW vehicles, there isno warranty coverage when registered in Canada. If you need additionalassistance with warranty concerns, please contact the Customer CARECenter at 1-800-822-8987 and an advocate will be able to help.

Thank you again for visiting vw.ca. We look forward to finding youbehind the steering wheel of a new Volkswagen car in the near future!"

Please note that there are many third-party warranty providers to choose from, but there are also many other manufacturers who may be more honourable to deal with.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

China's largest acquisition of a foreign car maker closed yesterday with Ford selling its Volvo unit to Geely for US$1.3 billion in cash and a $200-million note.

This means that Ford is no longer providing recall information on its website and details of any outstanding recalls must be obtained through a Volvo dealership in Canada.

Note, that there will likely be a steep fee for this letter as Volvo dealerships in Canada state that certain "Volvo" modifications are required. Modifications have been known to cost close to $3,000 and include instrument cluster changes and other inspections.

Please note that these modifications are not a Transport Canada requirement but a Volvo-mandated requirement.

Monday, July 26, 2010

If you are traveling through the ST-ARMAND/PHILIPSBURG border crossing in Quebec, you will have to submit your US Vehicle Export documentation in original format to the HIGHGATE SPRINGS, VERMONT border, which is the opposite port of entry to cross back to ST-ARMAND/PHILIPSBURG.

1. Drop off the original and a photocopy of the vehicle Title certificate, the Bill of Sale, and the Vehicle Export Worksheet to the main lobby at Highgate Springs where an officer will stamp your documentation.

2. Hours of vehicle export services are Monday-Friday 8 am to 4 pm. Your paperwork or your export will not be processed outside of these hours.

3. A minimum of 72 hours later (weekends and holidays DO NOT COUNT) you may cross the border with the vehicle you intend to export out of the US. Stop in again at the lobby and this time receive an export stamp from the officers.

4. Proceed to the ST-ARMAND/PHILIPSBURG CBSA office to complete the vehicle importation process for Canada, pay duty(if applicable) and taxes before heading home.

Important: Do not operate your newly purchased vehicle without insurance coverage. Purchase a temporary or full policy before you collect your vehicle. For more details on document requirements for vehicle importers visit Border Crossing Information at UCanImport.com

Thanks to our UCanImport readers, we have learned that there is a major auto insurance company in the U.S. who deals with odd ball policies i.e. total 30 day coverage without regard to origin of driver’s license and other similar types of requirements often needed by vehicle importers. They are called Hallmark Insurance Group Inc and can be accessed on line or through certain insurance brokers in most states.

Most Canadian temporary insurance coverage ranges from 10-days (BC) to 2 weeks (Saskatchewan), and some Ontario companies don't like to issue temporary insurance unless the bill of sale is under 10-days or unless they've had you as a client for an extended period. However, Hallmark will offer a good 30-day policy for about US$189 and could potentially allow you to make a longer holiday of your car buying trip.

Please note that you must have some form of auto insurance before driving your newly-purchased vehicle back from the US and into Canada. Do not overlook this important step! Full importation details are provided within the UCanImport importing guide available at http://www.ucanimport.com/Subscription.aspx

We'd like to hear from you if you have had any experience with this company, so please blog your thoughts.

Monday, May 24, 2010

If you purchase a vehicle in Minnesota you will need a temporary permit to drive it back to Canada. Minnesota has a variety of trip permits, but the one best suited to Canadian vehicle importers is the 31-Day Temporary, Non-resident